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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. deal — to handle
  4. lean — thin
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rash — a series
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. march — music
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kid — to tease
  16. cue — a signal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. lean — to bend
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cue — a hint
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. lean — to rest against

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com